


Stranger in Neverland

by Dakarima



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24865336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dakarima/pseuds/Dakarima
Summary: Lucy grew up with a strict father and loving mother. She was a dreamer and a fighter and would often end up in trouble not only at school, but with her father as well. As her mother lies dying, she tells Lucy to go to a place where no one can harm her and she can be free. What Lucy doesn't know is that where she is taken, is Neverland. Here she runs into all sorts of trouble while appearing as a boy to not end up dead by Pan's hand.
Kudos: 4





	1. I Believe

There is a short description of what _kid_ means in the dictionary. 1. It could be a child or 2. It could be a young person. Now me myself, I didn’t consider myself a kid. I was 16 years old, and would often find myself dreaming of a better life with my mother. My father would find my daydreaming a waste of time. He always said, “ **the time you waste dreaming away, could be time invested in your education** ”, with a stern voice. It was important to him that I would take over the family business as he never got the son he truly wanted. Therefore, whenever I acted out or didn’t do as he wanted, he would yell at me. My mother however, was a gentle soul who supported me through everything. My dreams were her dreams and she would often be my shield whenever I had an argument with my father.

I can still remember the day my father found me painting in the living room instead of focusing on my education. He had gotten so mad that he slapped me. My mother had turned red with fury and it was one of the loudest fights I had heard them have. I had never truly belonged in school; I was a victim of hate and abuse there. My mother giving me a kitchen surgery to stitch up the cuts in my forehead and put ice on the bruises. I was a fighter and it had gotten me in a lot of trouble throughout the years, but it wasn’t my fault that everyone laughed at me because of the colour of my hair. I never really understood why that was even funny. Yes, I was the only one with that specific colour, but it was just a colour.

I had once found myself standing in front of the mirror with the scissors in my hands. Tears were streaming down my face and thoughts were rushing through my head. It was – as always – my mother who heard my sobbing in the bathroom and talked me out of it. I know my mother had tried to talk to my father, to ask him if we could move away from the city, but he wouldn’t budge. The family business was in the city and that’s where we would stay.

A day before my 16th birthday, my mother fell ill. The doctors said it was tuberculosis and her remaining time was short. I didn’t celebrate my birthday, instead I spent my day outside of my mother’s room, describing to her what I was painting. I wasn’t allowed inside the room with her, not even my father was. The only time we got to really see her was when we slid a plate of food into her room and we could see her lying in the bed through the crack of the door. Every night I would read to her one of her favourite stories, Moby Dick. She knew the book inside out and would often read it with me, without having the book. It was these moments I cherished the most.

One night, after finishing chapter 23 of the book I went quiet and just sat outside her door. I could faintly hear the crickets chirp outside.

“Lucy.” My mother whispered. “Listen to me carefully.” I sharpened my ear and straightened my back. “I fear I don’t have much time left, but I know that as soon as I am gone, a lot of things will be different.” Her voice was quivering. “And I only want what’s best for you.” I shifted onto my knees and put my ear against the door. “I want you – tonight – to stand by your window and tell yourself that you believe. A shadow will come to you, and you mustn’t fear it, as it will take you to the most wonderful place you can imagine.” She paused. “And you can be forever free and no grown up or parent can tell you what to do. And no one will hurt you ever again.” I stood up and placed my hand on the doorknob. I turned it and pushed against the door, but it was locked. I tried again, but the door wouldn’t open. “I love you, Lucy.” My name faintly faded with her breath. I tried to bash open the door and kick open the door, but nothing worked. I called to my mother several times, but she wouldn’t reply. My eyes were getting itchy and my face red.

As I bashed and banged on the door, my father came running up the stairs and down the hallway. He pushed me to the side and made me trip over my own feet. I fell down on my back. “What the bloody hell are you doing?” He yelled at me. I flinched as he leaned over me with his low eyebrows and dark eyes.

“Mother.” I gasped. “Mother locked the door.” I tried to explain. My father kept his gaze on me for a moment before turning around. He too tried to open the door, but it was locked. He knocked his shoulder to the wood, but nothing made the door open. He called out my mother’s name, but not a single reply.

My father turned back to me with burning eyes. I could see he was gritting his teeth as his jaw went back and forth. “Lucy, I need you to go in your room and stay there. I will go out to get help.” He commanded. In a swift motion he pulled me to my feet and pushed me down the hallway to my room. “Stay in here.” He slammed the door behind me and my whole body shook.

I rubbed my eyes and sat down on the edge of my bed. All kinds of thoughts were rushing through my head and the room begun to spin. I didn’t dare to think it, and I certainly didn’t want to say it out loud, because then it would become more real than anything. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears.

I got up on my feet and shuffled back and forth in my room. My mother’s words rushed through my head. _I love you. I only want what’s best for you. You believe. No one will hurt you ever again. Wait, you believe?_ I glanced over to my window. I slowly walked over and looked out on the houses outside. Between the chimney smoke a clear night sky was visible filled with thousands of stars and the bright round moon. I unlocked the small hatches on the window and lifted it open. A chill wind blew right through me. There was no sign of life outside, except for a couple strolling down the street.

I took a step back and bit my lower lip. My eyes were jumping from left to right to left to right as I thought about it. I suppose it was worth a shot. I never knew my mother to be a liar, even the most absurd stories she had told me growing up, I always believed her. I sighed before taking in a deep breath of the cool air and closed my eyes. “I believe.” I stood there for a moment in silence with my eyes closed. Not a single sound could be heard. I opened my eyes and my stomach sank. Why would I even think that anything would happen, it was just stories her mother had told her.

I walked up to the window again and placed my hands on it to pull it down. I stopped in my tracks as I could faintly hear my name being called. It was so faint that at first I thought perhaps it was my own thoughts, but it grew louder until I could properly hear my name. I searched the yard down below, but there was no one there. I checked the street next to us, but no one was there. As I looked into the night sky I saw a shadow float around. The shadow grew bigger and I suddenly realised it was coming towards me. In panic I shut the window and fell backwards. The shadow landed on the windowsill and gave me a wave. My jaw was hanging and my eyes were staring at this shadow, looking like a young boy. Its eyes were the colour of two twinkling stars and the more I looked into them, the calmer I became. The shadow gestured at the window and I pulled myself back up on my feet and approached it. “Will you hurt me?” I asked. I found it silly that I would even try to talk to this thing in front of me as I knew it was all in my head. The shadow shook its head and again gestured towards the window. I hesitated at first but pushed open the window and stepped back.

The shadow gently trod inside and bowed before me. I was taken aback by this as it seemed so formal. Without thinking I bowed back and the shadow took a step closer. It didn’t speak or make a single sound. It held out its hand and I froze. _It will take you to the most wonderful place you can imagine._ Her words echoed in my head. Was she truly speaking the truth or was this all a dream? It seemed too unreal to be true, this must be a dream. It must be a foolish attempt of my mind to try and trick me into feeling safe with my mother’s stories.

The shadow stood there with his hand out, waiting for my decision patiently. I glanced over my shoulder to look at the door to my room. My mother was right, if she truly were gone, everything here would change and I would probably never find happiness again. My father would whip me into submission for the family business, no one would stitch me back together or support me with my dreams. No one would kiss me good night or sing to me when I was scared, and no one would tell me that they were proud of me.

“I love you too, mom.” I whispered and looked back at the shadow in front of me. I took a step closer and placed my hand in its hand. It tickled my skin as it gently guided me to the window. It stepped out of it and begun to float. It let me stand on the windowsill for a moment, as it probably knew that a fear of falling was within me. I couldn’t help myself from looking down on the ground below. If I stepped off and fell, my life would probably end pretty quickly, but if I floated too and joined this shadow, my life would go on, either way, both would be a better option than staying here alone with my father.

I stepped forward, but I didn’t fall, instead I floated. The shadow was still holding my hand and I couldn’t help myself from giggling as we flew away into the night sky. As I looked down on my house, the building grew smaller and smaller, then my neighbourhood grew smaller and smaller and then the city grew smaller and smaller until the world below us looked like a twinkling night sky.


	2. Neverland

In the distance an island grew visible. We were flying over a black ocean as the distant island became bigger. I hung in the shadows grip as my feet were mere centimetres above the ocean surface. I look up at the shadow and a shock of fear went through my body. The hairs on my body stood up as I looked into two red lights. It was the shadows eyes. What had once been two twinkling stars gently blinking at me back home, had turned into two red spots of gleaming rubies with a dark core. I wiggled and struggled out of the shadows grip. It dropped me into the ocean. The dark and chilled water surrounded me, but the fear I had felt when seeing into the shadow’s eyes kept me under the surface. I couldn’t go any further with it. I swam as far as I could away from where I had been dropped under the surface. As I felt the pressure in my chest and the need for air, I broke the surface and begged within me that the shadow was gone.

I gasped in the air as soon as my mouth was out of the water. I looked around to see if the shadow was around. Nothing. I saw the island in front of me and begun to swim. My whole body was covered in goose bumps and my jaw was shaking. It was more tiring to swim than I thought it would be. As I closed in on the shore, my arms got heavier and I could barely kick with my legs. I swam until my hands dug into the sand and pulled myself all the way out of the water. I turned over on my back, my chest rising up and down like a pump.

For a moment I blacked out and all I could hear was my mother calling my name. I tried to call back, but no voice came through. I felt a sting on my cheek and my eyes flung open. My eyes were caught by a pair of dark green eyes. I rolled to the side before scanning the creature in front of me. It took me a moment to realise it was a human, more specifically a woman. My eyes were kept wide as I waited for the woman’s next move.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” The woman apologised and gave me a reassuring smile. I tilted my head at her. “I am Tinker Bell, but you may call me Tink.”

I felt my muscles loosen up a bit and I sat down on my knees. I took a deep breath and sighed out in relief. “I am Lucy.” My hair was sticking to my face and my nightgown was clinging to my body. I pulled aside some of the hair covering my eyes.

“You new here?”

“I guess so.” I looked around me and finally noticed the thick jungle in front of me. I looked over at Tinker Bell.

“You don’t know where you are, do you?” Tinker Bell walked over to me and held out her hand to me. I glanced at her hand before grabbing it. She pulled me up to my feet. “I think it’s best if you come with me, I can help you a little on the way, but I can’t let you stay.” She explained and begun to walk towards the jungle. I looked behind me at the endless ocean before following her.

“Can’t stay with you? Why not?” I asked as we made our way through the jungle. The mix of dirt, stones and twigs was painful to walk over with my bare feet.

“I don’t want any trouble with Pan and if he finds out you have been with me or if he finds you with me, I am done for.” She said worryingly. “Last time I took care of a boy, I almost ended up losing my right hand.”

I stopped in my tracks and she turned around to look at me. “Who is this Pan you are talking of?” I couldn’t help myself from scanning my surroundings after speaking the name.

“I’ll tell you as soon as we get back to my place, it’s too dangerous to speak of this here.” She continued to walk down the dirt path. I wringed my hair to get out the excess sea water. I continued to follow her until we finally came to a thick tree branching out in all directions. A ladder on the side of the tree led up to a small treehouse. We climbed our way up.

The tree house wasn’t big, it consisted of only one room with a bed, a table, a chair and a shelf with a few bottles, bowls and some rusty kitchen supplies. Tinker Bell lit a candle on the table and sat down on the bedside. I walked over to one of the open windows overlooking the ocean. The stars were reflected in the calm sea.

“You’re dripping everywhere.” Tinker Bell pointed out. I looked down and noticed a small pool was growing beneath me. I apologised to her and she gestured to a small pile of clothes next to her bed. “There should be some clothes there you can use.”

I gave her a nod and walked over to the pile. There wasn’t much to chose from, only two different tunics, one belt, one pair of pants and a pair of flat boots. I grabbed everything except for one of the tunics. I laid them on the bed and glanced over at Tinker Bell. She had already turned away from me. I couldn’t help but smile at her politeness. I pulled my wet nightdress off of me and threw it next to me. It made a splatting noise as it hit the floor. I put on the dark brown pants that seemed to fit me perfectly, pulled on the white tunic and wrapped the black belt around my waist. The tunic was baggy, but it was light and comfortable to wear. I slipped on the black boots and cleared my throat, signalling to Tinker Bell she could turn around again.

She gave me a smile as soon as she saw me. She gestured towards the chair and walked over to the shelf. I sat down in the chair by the table and Tinker Bell came back with a pair of scissors. “We need to cut it.” She said and held up the scissors.

“Why?”

“Because you’re done for if Pan finds out you’re a girl.”

I was about to say something but bit my cheek instead. I turned around and sighed out. I felt she grabbed a part of my hair and I could feel the scissors struggle to cut. I bit my lips and shut my eyes as the painful process of getting my hair cut continued.

“So, who is Pan?” I asked as she tugged my hair. I tried my best not to make any noise, but it was hard.

“Pan, or rather Peter Pan is the king of this island. A scary guy you really don’t want to run into unless you’re one of the lost boys.”

“And who are the lost boys?”

“The group who are always with Pan. They do everything for him and don’t question it. They are basically a small army of boys who are not wanted by anyone. That’s why they are here.”

“And where is here?”

“Honestly, you know nothing, do you?” Tinker Bell leaned forward over my shoulder and I saw her judgemental expression in the corner of my eye. I confessed I had no idea where I was and that it was my mother who told me to go here.

“You are in Neverland, a place where no one grows up and Pan is the leader of everyone. It is inhabited by all kinds of creatures and you can easily get lost in here. My suggestion is that you find a place you feel safe and build yourself a home, but make sure it’s not visible. As soon as you are found, you are probably done for.” Tinker Bell explained. “Just make sure to not enter any caves, be careful about any kinds of drops, stay out of the waters and look out for Pan, the lost boys and pirates.”

“Pirates?” I exclaimed out louder than intended.

“Yes, pirates. Captain Hook has his ship outside of the island, but sometimes he comes ashore with his crew to look for food and other necessities.”

Everything Tinker Bell had explained spun inside my head. There was so much to keep track of, a part of me questioned if there was even a chance I would make it through a day here.

The pain stopped and I looked over my shoulder to see Tinker Bell putting down the scissors on the table. “It doesn’t look too bad, perhaps a bit rough, but I think I did a pretty good job.” She clapped both her hands together and smiled. She didn’t have a mirror for me to have a look at what she had done, so I had no choice but to trust her. I stood up in front of her and gave her a twirl. “You look just like a boy, that should at least keep you out of trouble with you gender. Now you should have a name you can go by, just in case.”

We both went quiet for a moment before a name popped into my head. “How about Lou?” I suggested. Her face lit up as I uttered the words.

“It’s perfect.” She snapped her fingers and walked over to me. She adjusted the belt around my waist. “Not too tight, we don’t want to show off any curves or the possibility for a chest.” She took a step back and looked at me. “Perfect, it’s a pleasure to meet you Lou.” She held out her hand and I shook it.

“Now what?” I asked.

“You’ll have to explore the island I suppose.” She said. “I unfortunately don’t have any food to spare, but you can safely eat the red berries with the spiky leaves. You can also safely eat the brown mushrooms growing by the white trees. Other than that, you can try fishing by the rivers or hunt for rabbits. The water in the river is also safe to drink, just make sure nothing has died higher up.”

My eyebrows rose at her last sentence. _Died?_ “Thank you for your help, Tinker Bell.” I walked towards the ladder leading down to the jungle.

“Just know that if Pan or the lost boys find you, present yourself as a boy, and you’ll probably be fine.” Tinker Bell smiled. I smiled back before climbing down the ladder.

As my feet touched the ground I felt immediately unease. I realised that I was on my own at an island I knew nothing about with dangers around every tree and behind every stone. I felt my first priority should be to find something to eat and drink. I knew nothing about survival, but I suppose there is a first for everything.

I made my way down the dirt trail through the jungle. I kept my ear sharp for running water and my eyes for red berries and white mushrooms. It was mostly quiet in the jungle, just a few birds and crickets filling in the background noise. I try to avoid touching anything as much as possible. As I don’t know anything about this place, I must consider everything a danger.

After walking what felt like forever I came to a small opening in the jungle. I immediately noticed the green bush with spiky leaves and red berries. I rushed over to the bush and plucked off one of the berries. I placed the berry inside my mouth and a rush of sweetness spread across my tongue. A smile instantly grew on my face and I plucked a handful of berries. I walked over to a small boulder and sat down leaning against it. I ate a couple of berries and enjoyed the sweet taste of it.

I felt my ears tense when I heard twigs breaking somewhere nearby. My eyes widened and I scanned my environment. More twigs broke and I got up on my feet. A boy jumped out of the bushes in front of me and I flinched. Without thinking I threw the rest of the berries at the boy and pounced in the opposite direction. I immediately ran into another young teenager and fell to the ground. Before I could get up again, I was surrounded by boys. _Oh no_.

“What do we have here? A lost boy?” The tallest of the boys stepped forward. His hair was a mess and he was carrying a wooden mace. He was casually twirling a straw between his lips as he leaned down in front of me. “Are you lost, little one?” He asked mockingly. The other boys cackled with him.

I bit the inside of my cheek before opening my mouth. “No, I’m not lost.” I replied. I felt a sting in my stomach as I heard how light my voice was. I begged they weren’t as perceptive as I had imagined when Tinker Bell had spoken of them.

The boy spat out the straw next to me. “We’ll see. Let’s get Pan to decide that.” He stood up and looked around. “Let’s take him to the camp.” The boys cheered and four boys grabbed a limb each and lifted me up.

I tried to kick and wiggle myself lose. “Stop, let me go.” I commanded, but no one listened to me. They deliberately deafened my words with cheering and howling. My heart thumped against my ribcage as I realised there was no way out of this. The thought of meeting Pan face to face sent shivers down my spine. Whatever monster was waiting for me, I knew this wouldn't end well.


	3. I'm Peter, Peter Pan

I was facing backwards as they brought me to the camp. The only reason I knew we were close, was because I could hear the wood in the campfire crack and some of the boys rushed past us. I could feel the musky smoke of nutty wood enter my nostrils. The smell reminded me of the fireplace we had at home. My father would light a fire and a nutty smell would spread across the house. My mother would read with me in front of the fireplace while my father read the newspapers.

When we had entered the camp, the boys dropped me at the same time. I hit the ground with a thud next to the campfire. It burned brightly and warmed me up from the chilled air. I rubbed my back as I sat up. I noticed a teenage boy sitting in front of me on a stump. He might have been slightly older than me, but certainly not an adult. His forest green eyes were looking me up and down with a side smirk plastered on his face. My eyes narrowed and my eyebrows turned flat as I looked back at him. I couldn’t help myself being judged and uncomfortable. I tried my best to not show it, as I was afraid that if a lost boy could see my fear, who would know what Pan would do. The tall boy that was the first to talk to me was standing next to me sniggering.

The boy kept looking at me without moving or talking. I opened my mouth but was quickly cut off by the boy. “What’s your name?” He asked and leaned a bit forward. I couldn’t help myself from flinching as he spoke up.

I glanced up at the tall boy who was now quiet. “I’m Lou.” I answered, trying to give my voice a bit deeper tone. Tinker Bell’s words swirled around in my head. It felt like an alphabet soup considering everything I had to remember.

“Then Lou.” He stood up. “You must be the boy my shadow dropped on the way.” _His shadow?_ My jaw dropped and eyes widened. “I’m Peter, Peter Pan.” He held out a hand towards me. Every word that had swirled inside my head was gone except for two; Peter Pan. I just stared at his hand, wondering what to do. He tilted his head and squatted down in front of me. “You have nothing to fear, you’re safe now.” I knew it was a lie.

I helped myself up and noticed some of the lost boys were looking at us. Peter howled. “Come on boys, time to celebrate.” More lost boys emerged from the jungle and begun to dance, howl and clap their hands around the fire. “Come on Lou, join the celebration.” He patted my right shoulder.

I took a step away from the dancing circle. “I’m fine just watching.” I said and sat down on a log in the camp. _I had to get out of here._ _Perhaps if they were too busy celebrating no one would notice me slipping away_. I glanced at the tall boy who were staring intently at me. _Or not._

As I sat on the log, watching the dancing boys and the crackling fire, I felt my eyes getting heavy. I noticed their movements had slowed down and some had even sat down to relax. Not long after, a lost boy walked over to me. He couldn’t have been older than thirteen.

“Time to go to bed.” He said and pulled me up by my tunic. “You’ll be sharing room with me, Daniel and Tom.” He grabbed the sleeve of my tunic and walked. I followed him to a thick tree at the edge of the camp. Above was a tree house. It was connected to other treehouses by small wooden bridges between each tree. We climbed up the ladder and the boy led me to one of the houses. There was just a single room inside with two bunk beds made out of wood and leaves. “You’ll sleep here.” He pointed at the bottom bed to the left.

I walked over to it and sat down on the edge. The mattress was thin, but the leaves underneath made it somewhat comfortable. The pillow was made of sown together rags and stuffed with straw and was accompanied by a blanket. I took off my boots as to not dirty the bed and lied down. It was nothing like the bed I had at home. It felt like sleeping on a cloud and being wrapped up by fluffy lambs the bed I had at home.

I begun to hear snoring as some time had passed. This was probably the best chance to leave, as the tall boy was no longer hanging over me with his beady little eyes. I took the blanket off and sat upright. I slipped my boots on and tied the laces tightly – if I had to run, at least I wouldn’t lose my boots in the process. As lightly and quietly I could, I snuck out of the tree house, across the wooden bridges and down the ladder. The campfire had died out, but it was still giving off some heat. I walked past the campfire when I heard someone clearing their throat behind me. I got goose bumps all over my body as I turned around.

“Going for a midnight stroll?” Peter Pan asked as he leaned against a tree. His arms were crossed and a grin was drawn across his face. Before I could open my mouth to excuse my presence outside, he had already spoken. “You probably shouldn’t wander this island alone since you’re so new and you haven’t been taught to navigate. Let me walk with you, just to make sure you won’t get lost.” He let his arms fall down and walked towards me. I felt frozen in my tracks. “Go on then.” He said as he stopped next to me. I straightened my back and begun to walk into the jungle.

Pan was walking right behind me. It felt like he was just half a step behind. Neither of us said a word and the only thing filling the silence was the chirping from the grasshoppers. The sky was clear and the moon illuminated the path we walked. Ahead of me I noticed what looked like a bundle of clothes at the edge of the trail. As we walked closer it became apparent to me it wasn’t just a bundle of clothes, but inside was a skeleton. I wanted to stop, but noticed the skeleton had a sword lying next to it and an opportunity arose. I bit my bottom lip as thoughts swirled around. I begun to hastily imagine how to execute this plan. As we were to pass it, I had no plan and would just have to improvise.

I ducked down and swiftly picked up the sword. I swung the sword as I turned around, but Pan had managed to dodge it. I swung it again but missed. I lunged towards him and forced the sword through his stomach. He groaned as I let go of the sword and he fell to his knees. His green clothes soaked up the blood as he was leaning forward in pain. I covered my mouth and my eyebrows furrowed. “I am so sorry.” I breathed out again and again. I had just killed someone. I had just killed Pan. I felt my heart beat in my ears and the blood rushing through my body. I took a step back and saw him lie down on his side, his body slightly twitching and blood running out of his mouth. I turned around and ran further into the forest.

I ran until I could taste blood in my mouth. I had no idea where I was, all I knew was that I was far away from Pan and the lost boys. I stopped to catch my breath. I straightened myself up again and begun to walk. I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was behind me. As I looked back I ran into a tree. I fell back and looked up. It wasn’t a tree. It was a pirate. I gasped and crawled the other way in panic. The pirate laughed and grabbed a hold of my leg. He pulled me towards him. I rose my free leg and kicked him in the face. I managed to push myself up and begun to run in the opposite direction when two other pirates cut me off. One of them punched me in my face and I fell to the ground unconscious.

My eyelids were heavy, but I noticed my body was in motion. As I forced my eyes open and blinked to clear my vision, I noticed I was looking at a pair of feet walking. It took me a moment to realise I was hanging over someone’s shoulder, being carried through the jungle. My hands were tied together and the chance of getting out of this was slim. It was one thing to trick boys, but to trick full grown men known for killing and pillaging was another. I peeked up and saw one of the pirates walking. I noticed he was wearing an eyepatch, so he was not the one I kicked in the face earlier. I dangled along as the sound of ocean waves grew closer. The dirt trail below us turned into sand and the pirate carrying me was slightly stumbling.

“Any trouble while we were gone?” A pirate out of view asked.

“No, been unusually quiet.” Another pirate replied. “I see you got one of the boys.”

“Yeah, ran straight into us.” The pirate carrying me said and they all chuckled. The pirate dropped me and I hit the sand with a soft thump. The four pirates surrounded me and stared at me.

The pirate I had kicked in the face had traces of blood down his shirt and his nose was swollen. His eyebrows rose as he looked closer at me. “Holy shit, you’re a.” He was interrupted as we heard howling and yelling from behind us. Out from the jungle came a flock of lost boys running out with swords in the air and bows drawn. The pirates jumped and pulled out their own swords. They ran towards the children and clashed together in the middle of the beach.

Me – seeing an opportunity – got up on my feet and begun to run. I tripped over a stone and fell over. I rolled over at my back and took a few deep breathes. A lost boy approached me and pulled out a dagger. He cut lose my hands and gave me a smile. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“Good, let’s get you back to the camp.” He helped me up and let out a loud cry. The lost boys fighting wailed back and we all ran into the jungle again.

They found our way back to the camp. The trip back wasn’t as nearly as long as I had thought. As we entered the camp area the campfire was lit. Some of the boys made their way back to bed, some wandered back into the woods and some sat down by the fire. I joined the three boys sitting by the fire. _I killed Pan; how do they don’t know?_

“You need to be more careful, Lou.” One of the boys said. I looked over at him. He was blonde and probably one of the younger boys. “You can get lost so easily.”

“Yeah, if those pirates had taken you to Hook’s ship, who knows what they would have done to you.” The second boy added. He too was blonde, but he was missing a finger from his right hand.

I looked into the dancing fire in front of me. “I am sorry for causing so much trouble.” I twirled my thumbs. “May I perhaps know your names? I would like to at least have some friends.”

They all giggled. “We are all your friends, Lou. I am Devin.” The blonde missing a finger said. “That is Tom.” He gestured towards the second blonde boy. “And that is Marcus.” We all turned our heads towards the quiet ginger boy staring at the ground. “He is mute, so he can’t talk, but he has the best aim, except for Pan of course.”

I smiled at all of them. “How did you all end up here? How long have you been here?” I asked curiously. They all looked at each other with their brows almost connecting in the middle.

“We have no idea.” Devin chuckled. “We have been here for so long that I guess we’ve lost count; I know I have.”

“Yeah, all I know is that I don’t want to go back.” Tom added and the two other boys nodded in unison.

“You don’t miss your families?” I asked and raised my eyebrows.

They all shook their heads. “No, we want to stay here where it’s fun and no adults decides what we can and cannot do.” Tom said.

I looked around, checking if Pan had made it back to the camp. I felt bad for what I had done, but I was desperate. If Pan was as bad as Tink had told me, then I wouldn’t want to be near him at all.

I stood up and walked towards the tree houses when Devin called for me. I stopped and turned to meet him. He walked up to me and held out a sword. “I am sorry to bother you like this, but could you take this to Pan’s tree house?” He asked.

“Why can’t you do it yourself?”

Devin looked down. “Because last time I did, I woke Pan up and he got mad at me. That is why I am missing a finger.” He held up his hand to show that he was telling the truth.

I glanced up to the tree house where Pan slept. It was built on the thickest tree in the camp and was slightly bigger than everyone else’s. It was not connected to any of the other tree houses. “Fine.” I said. He handed me the sword, thanked me and walked past me to the tree houses. I gulped and walked slowly to Pan’s treehouse. My heart was slightly beating faster and I felt my mouth getting dry.

With the sword in my hand, I fumbled my way up the ladder leading to his house. The small balcony by the entrance overlooked the whole camp. The camp was empty and the only thing keeping it lively was the campfire dancing. I turned around and entered Pan’s treehouse. The carved wooden door creaked open and I stepped inside. I closed the door behind me and scanned the room. Pan was not here. I walked over to a table on the right and placed the sword on it. His bed was unmade and a small table by it was covered in wax from used up candles. Some of the wax had dripped onto the floor. Next to the table I was standing by was a shelf with different things. I glossed my eyes over the shelf; knives, colourful stones, seashells, dried up berries and small jars filled with unknown substances. What caught my eye was a pan flute. I reached forward and picked it up. It was light, made out of bamboo and was well taken care of. I brought it up to my mouth but stopped. I suddenly remembered that is Pan’s flute, which was a good reason for why I shouldn’t blow on it.

“Why don’t you give it a try?” I jumped and turned around to find Pan standing by the door. I furrowed my brows as I realised he didn’t make a sound entering the house. “You know, I didn’t think you had it in you, but you actually did it.” He admired the sword he was holding. “No one has ever done what you did. I must say you actually took me by surprise.” He walked closer to me and I tried to step back but was stopped by the shelf. “I should really punish you for what you did.” He creased his brows and stopped right in front of me. I looked to the side as my heart pounded against my chest. “But it was a fun little game, so I will let it slide.” He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. “For now.” He let go of my chin and took a step back. He handed me the sword and I returned the flute to him. “You should get some sleep, Lou. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.” He stepped to the side and I rushed to the exit. “And Lou.” I froze in my tracks. “Try not to wander off again.”

Without looking back, I left the house with multiple shivers running down my spine. I hurried back to my treehouse where everyone else was already asleep. I laid down in bed and hid under the blanket. My head was swirling and I begun to feel sick. It took me a long time to finally fall asleep.


End file.
